Industry 4.0. The Internet of Things. Automation. Connected smart factories or workshops. AI & smart robots. What do these mean for our industry and how can they apply or be applied to the engineering industry in New Zealand?
There is a lot of talk and a bit of hype around ICT-driven changes to manufacturing technologies. The vast majority of New Zealand’s non-food manufacturers are fully exposed to global market forces, and staying globally competitive is a critical success factor for them.
So, ignoring technology changes that their competitors use to raise productivity and delight their customers is not an option. To really grow our economy, we need to produce and export more high-value goods and services, and we need to do so more efficiently, increasing productivity.
Manufacturing and ICT, two sectors growing more and more intertwined as digital technologies penetrate our manufacturing businesses, already are key contributors to our economy, and they primarily are the ones to turn to when we look for more high-value products and services.
At the same time resources to explore, evaluate and implement new technologies are quite limited in most of New Zealand’s manufacturing businesses. And betting on the wrong horse could have dire consequences.
What can we do?
Join us at the Metals Industry Conference 2017 for our #HERAsessions, where Dieter will be providing an overview of these new technologies and present some proposals for efficient implementation of the right technologies in our manufacturing industry.
We’re excited with the core messages he’ll bring to our members about what is ahead for manufacturing in New Zealand.
Update shared by our Manager Information Centre Brian Low